Leading Off: Kings fans rule here, but look who’s second

It’s no surprise the Kings are the most popular NBA team in the Sacramento region.

And it’s not even much of a surprise that about 20 percent of the region’s residents count the Lakers as their favorite team, according to a recent New York Times analysis of Facebook “likes.” When the Lakers play the Kings at Sleep Train Arena, the number of Lakers jerseys in the upper level equals or surpasses the number of Kings jerseys. To see the percentage of Lakers fans in your ZIP code, check out a report and map by The Bee’s Phillip Reese at http://sacb.ee/Tdy.

More surprising is that the Warriors, who had a loyal following here before the Kings arrived in 1985, aren’t even the third choice among NBA fans in many ZIP codes in the region. The Times ranks the top three in each ZIP code in what it calls an “imperfect measure.”

Take ZIP code 95757 in Elk Grove, for example, where 37 percent “like” the Kings. The Lakers are second at 15 percent and the Heat third at 9 percent. In Sacramento County, the numbers are almost the same (Kings 35 percent, Lakers 23 percent, Heat 8 percent).

The Warriors don’t fare much better in some ZIP codes between Sacramento and the Bay Area. In 95688 in Vacaville, for example, it’s the Lakers (23 percent), followed by the Warriors (22 percent) and the Kings (13 percent).

Beyond the Kings’ gray and the Warriors’ blue in the Times’ map ( http://sacb.ee/UaM), the rest of California is purple, showing the Lakers’ domination.

It could be worse, Kings fans: In Los Angeles County, the Clippers don’t get much respect. The map shows 53 percent for the Lakers, 8 percent for the Bulls and just 7 percent for the Clippers.